If you have read these blogs in order you may have a glimpses of my mother as an angry woman who chased her cheating husband out, and beat her children. That's not the picture or memory I have of my mom. By the comments I have received I know there are many people out there who loved her as much as I did and would love to hear more.
My mother was a very diverse individual with medical problems that we did not find out for years, so I cannot share that part until we get to that time in my life. One of her many attributes was her love of children and especially teens. My mother loved my brother and I unconditionally. We always knew that she would lay her life down in a moment for us. There were other people that she loved, I think, just as much. She would do anything for them, and spent a lot of her money, time, and heart on these people.
This is what I like to call my "youth group mom". She was the coolest mom around! We had Chinese fire drills (I'm sorry if that's not PC, but that's what we called them in the 70's). A Chinese fire drill, is done at a stop light, preferably at a busy intersection, everyone jumps out of the car, and runs around the car and gets back in. While running, screaming and laughing at the top of your voice is preferable. In case you were wondering, no alcohol was involved. She taught me how to T.P. a house at an early age, and she welcomed my friends to the house all the time.
One of my favorite things was "ditch day". My mom would call the house from work, just about the time my brother and I left for school. Then she told me if I could catch my brother, we could both stay home from school that day. Of course I would run like the wind screaming for my brother to come back home. I always caught him, even if he was riding a bike! She would remind us of the rules. We had to stay in the house or backyard until school was out, then we could hang out with our friends. I think she did it so we would never ditch school for real.... it worked for me.
Since there was no youth pastor at our church during different times, my mom was the go to for many of the teens. They could find her in the church office or stop by our home anytime day or night. When we went to visit one of my uncles it was the teens who cared for our animals, and watched over the house. This was a blessing, and always held a surprise for us when we arrived home.
The teens loved to play jokes on my mom, by tee-peeing the house, putting up for sale signs, or even the occasional sink or toilet. My all-time favorite was when they tee-peed the INSIDE of the house. We had been gone for a couple of weeks and returned to a single red light bulb shinning on our front porch. For those that don't know this symbolizes a brothel. We laughed, but were amazed by the simplicity of the joke, then we opened the front door. Inside our house toilet paper was meticulously draped from the ceiling. Each piece applied with tape, so that you could not walk into the house without breaking a strand. From floor to ceiling, corner to corner, in every single room of the house was completely "decorated" with a variety of colors and designs. It was absolutely beautiful, and although no one ever confessed to the job, it must have taken them the entire two weeks to complete the project. We took pictures every step of the way, I hope to find those pics somewhere.
My mom loved those teens and they loved her in return. She spent hours working on her bible study lessons. She made food in large quantities, and fed them every week. She also took the high school group which averaged 40 kids to Disneyland every year to celebrate the seniors graduating. You might wonder how we could afford to do such things, and it was simple, she raised the funds. Every penny she raised for the teens, went to the teens, and she worked hard to make things happen so that they felt her love in many different ways. Many of them considered her a saint, and in many ways she was, but she always felt there was more that she could do.
From my point of view, I loved who my mom was when she was with the youth group. I loved the way the teens treated me. Although they constantly teased me, I knew they loved and accepted me. I was able to participate in trips, conversations, and learn many things before I became a teen. I was also able to see a different side of my mom. She would let her guard down, and became fun. The times would flow into each other and the hard times would fade in the glow of her love and warmth. I truly loved my mom, and these times gave me the opportunity to forgive the harder times, as well as a desire to understand.
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